A forest fire that has affected the Portuguese municipality of Odemira, in the south of Portugal, since Saturday, has so far left 1,400 evacuees preventively and 22 people assisted, although none in a serious condition, while the means of combat prepare to a difficult night

“We are going to have another night of a lot of work on the different active fronts,” said the commander of Civil Protection José Ribeiro at a press conference at the end of the afternoon of this Monday, when more than 800 firefighters, supported by 266 vehicles and 10 aerial means, fought the flames in the area.

An “absolutely exceptional” situation

Ribeiro, who described the situation as “absolutely exceptional”, explained that more than 1,400 people and 125 animals were evacuated in a preventive manner and that the municipalities of the area have already activated the necessary means to accommodate the evicted. In addition, 22 people were assisted for medical emergencies, of which four, three firefighters and one civilian, were referred to the hospital, although without “seriousness.”

“Throughout the day we had a very unfavorable meteorological picture that provided very difficult conditions for combat,” said Ribeiro, who said that the area where the troops are currently working occupies 6,700 hectares. Civil Protection hopes that during the night, when a higher relative humidity is expected, the extinction work can advance.

Two more fires ravage Portugal

The Odemira fire is not the only fire of concern in Portugal, which is currently experiencing the worst wave of forest fires this summer. Two other fires in the Leiria district, some 130 kilometers north of Lisbon, remain active with almost 400 troops mobilized in total. Another fire that worried the authorities, that of Ourém, 140 kilometers north of Lisbon, was declared under control at the end of the afternoon.

So far this year, 19,126 hectares have burned in forest fires and in rural areas in Portugal, with a total of 5,599 fires, according to data released this Monday by the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests (ICNF).